Quick Tips: Thrifty Ways...

To Decorate For Fall

Fall Decorating? But it’s still warm outside! On the West Coast and in the South, we’re still sweating. Hurricanes forming off the Gulf Coast. But, the Fall is coming and with it, some amazing thrifty tips for decorating your home.

Now is the time to drag out those fall decorations and see what you’ve got stored: wood crafts, silk leaves in fall sprays of color, plug-in-pumpkins of every size and variety, a door wreath with faux apples, grapes, and bows of orange and yellow.

Autumn Mixed Fruit Wreath Joann Fabrics & Crafts

Evaluate each item from your stores with a careful eye. What do you really need to purchase, and what can you spruce up to reuse? Now’s the time to check out whether those plug-in pumpkins are ready to use again; the light bulbs inside cannot be replaced. However, don’t throw them away! Use them as pumpkin décor, by remove the plug, and discretely place them “spooky faces” in.

Wreath Available at Walmart

Consider updating an old wreath by adding some new fall bows, or replacing the dented and dinged Styrofoam fruit. Stores like Walmart, Michaels, JoAnne’s Fabrics, and even Costco have great deals on wire rimmed ribbon and faux faire. Don’t forget to clip those 40% coupons from the paper for Michaels and JoAnnes, and save yourself a pretty penny.

Flowers Available at Michaels

Fall bows and sprays of silk fall leaves are a quick, easy, and beautiful way to dress up your home with minimal investment. Tie bows on lamp bases (away from the bulbs, please!), banister rails, and anything that will stand still. Tuck fall leaves atop your kitchen cabinets and it will seem like trees are reaching out of the forest, and into your home. Use a good silk-restoration spray cleaner to brighten up older silks. If you care for them and store them well, you can reuse them for years to come.

Boxed Maple Leaves by JoAnn Fabric & Craft Stores

Another idea is to watch stores like Publix, Walmart, RiteAid and CVS for great deals on potted mums. Most of them are already root-bound by the time they reach the stores. If you repot them quickly, you can keep them blooming through the fall season. Fill window boxes and surround your front doors with these beautiful, abundant fall colored blossoms. Maintain them through the winter and spring, cut back the dead parts and encourage new growth and next year, you’ll have twice the blooms at half the price!

Finally, consider which items are “Halloween Specific” and which ones can be repurposed to decorate through Thanksgiving. October can bring out the spooky ghosts, goblins, and other delights to tuck away November 1st, while leaving out the pumpkins, scarecrows, and fall leaves. That’s a good three months of decorations with one solid weekend’s worth of ingenuity and imagination.